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Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2013

This year Richard is up in Edinburgh performing in The Collision of Things at the pleasance. So I headed up there for a long weekend to catch up with him, see lots of theatre and eat haggis with every meal! (Haggis pie pictured below)

There’s still a few days left of the festival so if you’re heading up there here’s my Ed Fringe survival kit:

1. Hair brush – be prepared for gusty winds and drizzly rain at festival time. There’s no way I’m going to waste valuable fun time heading back to the digs or hotel to get ready for dinner or another show, so much prefer to keep my barnet in check on the go!

2. Umbrella – I know it’s Summer but this is Scotland, it’s beautiful, it’s fun, but it rains.

3. Stapler – If you’re hanging out with performers (very good idea-they know where the good shows are) bring a stapler. As reviews are published they print out quotes and staple them to their flyers and posters. Lend a hand with the admin and they might just reward you with great recommendations or even a complimentary ticket to their show.

4. Botanics All Bright – refreshing eye roll-on – Do the fringe right and you’ll be in and out of shows from the moment you arrive. Constantly going from the blackouts in the auditorium to the summer sunshine pushing through the rain clouds outside gives your eyes a bit of a rough deal. This cooling eye gunk is the travel equivalent of the old teaspoons in the freezer trick.

5. Sweater – most venues are pretty warm inside but after about 6pm there’s a definite autumnal vibe outside. Plus, if you drop haggis down you’re t-shirt you can cover up with a nice clean sweater.

6. Cash – tickets can be paid for with card but take a few quid for signed books, programmes and merchandise. It’s such a blur by the end you’ll want a few things to remind you what happened.

7. Pen – there’s no shortage of scraps of paper and what’s on guides but don’t forget a pen to mark what it is you actually want to see or the directions of how to get there.

8. Bag – bring a bag bigger than you need, to stash all the flyers and tickets for the shows you want to go to.

9. Small towel – hand dryers break…and did I mention it rains?

10. Comfy shoes. You prefer heels? You’re braver than me.

Shows to see:

The Collision of Things – Move to Stand. Richard’s show! There’s a cast of three, original music and…oh if I tell you any more I’ll ruin it, go see it, you won’t regret it.

Colin Hoult: Character Horse
I love going to see Colin’s shows, not just because he often utilises his fine Nottinghamshire accent thus making me feel less homesick but because he’s hillarious.

Battleacts!
Anyone else miss “Who’s line is it anyway?” never fear Battleacts will quench your satirical improvisation thirst. They are a wonderful bunch. And it’s free!!

La Merda – Silvia Gallerano
Ok, there’s a lady, sat on a plinth with no clothes on getting a bit shouty. From that description I wasn’t keen but the reviews were glowing, 4 and 5 stars all over the place. We popped along to see what all the fuss was about. Amazing, go see.